USDA Hardiness Zone 5b
Frost Dates for 03254 — Moultonborough, New Hampshire
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Meredith 3 NNE, NH (861 ft), 4 miles west.
Updated
In Moultonborough, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 28 in half of years and has passed by May 9 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 16, as early as October 3 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 171 days (NOAA, Meredith 3 NNE, NH).
- Last spring frost
- April 28
- First fall frost
- October 16
- Growing season
- 171 days
- Hardiness zone
- 5b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-15 to -10°F (-26.1 to -23.3°C) coldest night
- First snow
- November 14
- Last snow
- April 11
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 79.7"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
26 of 26 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Moultonborough
Half of springs at Meredith 3 NNE, NH see their last 32°F night by April 28; only one in ten is past it by April 15, and one in ten still has one after May 9. Planting tender crops after May 2 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 5 20%, and after May 9 10%. The 11 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is the narrowest of the 51 New Hampshire stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 16 in half of years, as early as October 3 one year in ten, and holds off past November 1 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 15 days later, around October 31; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 25, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 171 days in a typical year, longer than at 94% of the 51 New Hampshire stations; it reaches 191 days one year in ten and falls short of 152 one year in ten. On average 146 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 11 days longer, to about May 9, and return around October 5. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 1 and March 18.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 29 | May 2 | May 4 | May 7 | May 9 | May 12 | May 15 | May 18 | May 22 |
| 32°F | Apr 15 | Apr 20 | Apr 23 | Apr 25 | Apr 28 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 5 | May 9 |
| 28°F | Apr 3 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 11 | Apr 13 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 21 | Apr 25 |
| 24°F | Mar 21 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 4 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 11 | Apr 15 |
| 20°F | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 20 | Mar 23 | Mar 27 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 |
| 16°F | Mar 5 | Mar 10 | Mar 13 | Mar 15 | Mar 18 | Mar 21 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 24 | Sep 29 | Oct 1 | Oct 3 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 | Oct 10 | Oct 13 | Oct 18 |
| 32°F | Oct 3 | Oct 7 | Oct 10 | Oct 14 | Oct 16 | Oct 19 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 | Nov 1 |
| 28°F | Oct 15 | Oct 20 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 9 | Nov 14 |
| 24°F | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 26 |
| 20°F | Nov 8 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 22 | Nov 25 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 |
| 16°F | Nov 17 | Nov 22 | Nov 26 | Nov 29 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 7 | Dec 11 | Dec 17 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Meredith 3 NNE, NH, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 03254 →Compare Moultonborough with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, E Sandwich, NH, 7 miles north of Moultonborough and 169 feet lower, has a last frost 8 days later (May 6), a first frost 10 days earlier (October 6), a season 20 days shorter.
When it snows in Moultonborough, New Hampshire
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Moultonborough usually arrives around November 14, and the last of the season around April 11. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Meredith 3 NNE, NH, 4.2 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 17 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 03254
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 17 – March 3 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 3 – March 17 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 31 – April 14 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 28 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 24 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 2 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 16 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 03254 is 4 miles from Meredith 3 NNE, NH, which stands at 861 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station; its figures are presented in full for 03253 (Meredith). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 03254 in zone 5b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -15 to -10°F (-26.1 to -23.3°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.
Frost dates across New Hampshire →
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.